as in mistake
an instance of confusion
there was a foul-up with our mail order, and not one item arrived as ordered
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
tried not to foul up the football play
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to trip
to make a mistake
unfortunately, I fouled up and in my e-mail gave everyone the wrong date for the meeting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of foul-up
Lance Eliot, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2024
Many have faulted Cuba’s Stalinist bureaucratic centralization, but few critiques are as replete with concrete examples of foolishness and foul-ups.
—Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs, 1 Jan. 2012
Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 29 Jan. 2025
For just one of 67 counties to use the wrong one could foul up an entire statewide count.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for foul-up
Noun
That foul-up then gets included in the series of questions and answers, causing the final answer to go askew.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2024
Many have faulted Cuba’s Stalinist bureaucratic centralization, but few critiques are as replete with concrete examples of foolishness and foul-ups.
—Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs, 1 Jan. 2012
Verb
In between those foul shots, the Jayhawks intentionally fouled up three.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 29 Jan. 2025
For just one of 67 counties to use the wrong one could foul up an entire statewide count.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for foul-up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foul-up
Noun
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Jamie Moraga, Franklin Revere NO: San Diego’s roads are in dire condition after years of deferred maintenance; drastically cutting the road-repair budget now would be a serious mistake.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2025
-
Honeywell has learned from its mistakes, delivering a sensible forecast during its April 29 quarterly earnings report.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
9 May 2025
Verb
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Foster Carling House While Remick may be fumbling his Hollywood comeback, his home is pure architectural triumph.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
30 Apr. 2025
-
The player on the trophy is depicted fumbling the ball.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2025
Verb
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When Cody trips and falls in the grass, his friends band together to comfort him and get him a bandage for his boo-boo.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
9 May 2025
-
The 100th episode is an all-out celebration, with giant poultry, trips to the afterlife and even a cameo by Mark Hamill.—
Jamie Lang,
Variety,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Because of a mix-up at the hospital, Tomlin and Midler are separated from their identical twin sisters and instead live their lives as fraternal twins in two very different families.—
Andrea Wurzburger,
People.com,
30 Apr. 2025
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Between those, Nugent-Hopkins was left alone for a moment in the low slot after a coverage mix-up and buried a pass from Hyman to give the Oilers their first lead of the series at the 2:49 mark.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
However, the impending free agent had an 11.25 ERA, two losses and one blown save over 10 games entering Monday.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2025
-
Vindman and his twin brother, Alex, both blew the whistle on Trump’s attempt to withhold military aid to Ukraine while pressuring the country’s leader to investigate the family of President Joe Biden.—
Andy Kroll,
ProPublica,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
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How did the world’s two largest economies stumble toward a trade war that neither truly seeks and which the rest of the world can’t afford?—
Zongyuan Zoe Liu,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Apr. 2025
-
Eleni wasn't the only one who stumbled across the sale.—
Michelle Lee,
People.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The Arkansas regiment was unable to hold its position and fled in confusion when ordered to charge by Yell.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
3 May 2025
-
Driving that reversal: the public’s confusion over and disapproval of his tariff policies.—
Christian Paz,
Vox,
2 May 2025
Verb
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This was a problem that Microsoft made exponentially worse by screwing up the Recall rollout so badly in the first place.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
21 Apr. 2025
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The administration won't admit it, but this was a screw up.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foul-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foul-up. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
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